The war just changed gears
Now that the war on terror has come to two major European capitals in the post-ISIS caliphate environment – and two make a trend –the continent’s Schengen Area border arrangement as well as its interaction with the outside world is likely to undergo an overhaul. There were signs that something was cooking in Brussels since security agencies picked up one of the Paris attackers from there a few days ago. But the synchronised manner of the attack reflects detailed planning and reconnaissance, which is fast becoming a hallmark of ISIS. That means there’s no telling how many more sleeper cells litter the length and breadth of the continent; hence the panic.
Europe’s free border policy has its roots in the old war-ridded days of Bismark. And it took around a century of steady progress to create the 26-member border-free bloc. Suddenly, two freak attacks have put the arrangement in jeopardy. Surely some controls will now have to be put on free movement and a lot more screening and profiling is just around the corner. The continent has invested a hundred years worth of time and effort into the Union; it will go all the way to protect what has been achieved at such a high cost.
Unfortunately, this attack will also increase pressure on Muslims across the west, especially in Europe itself. Once again Da’ish has displayed the capability of striking at Europe’s nerve centres; Paris being a political symbol and Brussels a sign of the continent’s financial might. And, as usual, innocent people will bear the brunt of the inevitable security clampdown. Maybe now the western world will take ISIS more seriously than a political compulsion. While Russia helped the Syrian government in containing Da’ish, nato members’ many strikes have come across as more a politically correct position than a concrete effort to degrade the militia. The time to draw political mileage from this war passed a long time ago. And as Europe changes after Brussels, it had better realise that.